Showing posts with label Betty Busby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betty Busby. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Outstanding Art Quilts: The International Quilt Festival

Art quilting involves the use of both modern and traditional quilting techniques to create art objects, which are often displayed on the wall like paintings. These pieces are typically based on the maker's experiences, imagery, and ideas, rather than traditional quilt patterns.  Here are some outstanding art quilts from leading practitioners of the art.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns and collectible items. For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter !

Heights by Maya Chaimovich (Israel)

Israeli quilt artist Maya Chaimovich, who has exhibited in Quilt National, was first a woodworker and jeweler before she discovered fiber art and her passion for contemporary quilt art. This gorgeous collage-style piece features many different bright colors and contrasts. Her free-motion machine quilting recalls the contouring of topographic maps.

Deluge by Libby Lehman

Libby Lehman’s quilts are outstanding examples of contemporary artistry and original. Over the decades, she was recognized internationally for her intricate quilts and trend-setting techniques. Deluge is a three-piece whole cloth top. Machine appliqued shapes were added, which meander across the surface, creating movement and transparency.  Deluge is further embellished with yarn and thread.

Aquarium #1 - Fish Tails by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

Hand dyed and painted, with all the curves machine pieced, Aquarium #1 is one of Caryl Bryer Fallert’s enlarged semi-abstract studies of natural forms. She intertwines organic shapes, changing tonal values in the colors to bring bright elements forward and pull darker motifs into the background. This artist’s expertise in both design and stitching have won her numerous Best of Show awards and other honors. 


 Lichenometry by Betty Busby

In science, “lichenometry” is a technique that uses lichen growth to determine the age of exposed rock. The beauty of these living organisms is depicted in this stunning piece of the same name by Betty Busby. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where she majored in ceramics. She then founded a ceramic tile manufacturing studio and ran it for 18 years before moving to New Mexico. She has been working full-time making fiber art and teaching since 2003.


 Matchstick Moons #3 by Melody Johnson

A member of the Chicago School of Fusing self-named group of artists, Melody Johnson is best known for her powerful use of color in abstract design. Matchstick Moons #3 perfectly balances line and shape within a dynamic multi-colored surface.


Image credit:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2022 International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lichenometry is from the Frank Klein Collection.  All other quilts shown here are from the International Quilt Festival Collection.




Thursday, October 18, 2018

Quilts for Dia de los Muertos! (Day of the Dead)

Dia de los Muertos  (Day of the Dead) is celebrated throughout Mexico and in some other parts of Latin America. It coincides with November 1 and 2, which are All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

The purpose is to demonstrate love and affection for deceased family members, whose spirits are thought to return to the household to greet the loved ones.  We're featuring some of the most colorful and whimsical Day of the Dead quilts that we have seen over the last few years. 

Disparity by Karlee Porter (Salt Lake City, Utah)


Blue-ribbon winner for Best Surface Design at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival, Karlee remarks, "The inspiration for this design was the word "Disparity."  The skull was used as a centerpiece to remind the viewer that all life comes from something that must someday die.

Close-up, Disparity by Karlee Porter

Karlee's techniques for her original design include hand and machine embellishment, digital and professional fabric painting, and couching. 

Close-up, Disparity

For materials, Karlee used satin backing, printed wholecloth fabric, and two layers of Warm and Plush batting. Her intricate, finely detailed quilting patterns really give this striking image a great deal of energy.

El Muerto by Barbara Sferra (Cincinnati, Ohio)


A member of SAQA ( Studio Art Quilt Associates),  Barbara provided this lovely rendition of  El Muerto to the 2017 Benefit Auction, SAQA's premier fund-raising event.  Its proceeds benefit SAQA's exhibition and education outreach programs.

Close-up, El Muerto

Elegant and precise couching stitches provide a colorful embellishment for this lighthearted,  grinning countenance.

Flor de Muertos by Betty Busby (Albuquerque, New Mexico)


Betty Busby is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and a member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates. Her work depicts a young woman with long flowing locks and an elaborate earring.  She appears to be looking through a flower-bedecked portal from the spirit world into the earthly realm as she prepares to join her loved ones for a family visit on Dia de Los Muertos.

Close-up,  Flor de Muertos

In this close-up of Betty's mini-quilt,  you can see the circular/ diamond shaped design motif around the subject's eye serves as a complementary shape to the circular shapes of the small flowers surrounded the border.

My Inner Yogi by Debbie Schulze (Taos, New Mexico)

Debbie explains, "This is what you get when you combine a physical therapist, a yoga instructor, and a quilter. I found the Kaffe Fassett to be plenty whimsical enough to complement my happy, wacky, yogi."

Close-up,  My Inner Yogi


Debbie adds that her design source was her love of yoga, addiction to bright colors, and the lovable Mr. Chillingsworth, a top-hat wearing skeleton from Andover Fabrics.  Her techniques include machine piecing, fused applique, and machine quilting.

Close-up,  My Inner Yogi


Even this admiring kitty cat is done in imaginative polka-dot fabric, with an equally comical purple face and ears.


Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Friday, November 17, 2017

Highlights of the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival - part 4

The Houston International Quilt Festival is an awe-inspiring event, with more than 1,600 quilts on display, and over 60,000 visitors!! It's hard to describe the scale and visual impact of this event. Here are more highlights of this fantastic show.

Note: We've listed lots of lovely items at very low prices at Quilt Inspiration's E-Bay store !

Sawyer by Gail E. Thomas (British Columbia, Canada)


Gail Thomas says, "Grandchildren are glorious gifts... I hand-painted [Sawyer's] portrait and the stenciled border on cotton batik fabric. Free-motion quilting and hand embroidery add a bit of depth. I used antique buttons on the jeans to bring the quilt to life."


Cum et Iris by Sandra Ruano Navarro (Madrid, Spain)


The Latin phrase "cum et iris" translates to "when a rainbow." This dramatic, original design uses a combination of geometric forms and optical effects to simulate the swirling motion of a twister, with rainbow color flashes, as seen through a window. The quilting extends the swirled lines to the very edge of the quilt. Machine applique was used to create the swirls.


Lichen by Betty Busby (New Mexico, USA)


Betty Busby says, "I was inspired by the endless variety of lichen a tough little family of plants that can grow even on bare rocks in the desert." Inspired by macro-scale images, she created Lichen with machine applique, fusing, and painting, using silk and non-woven materials.


Victorian Jungle by Barbara McCraw (Texas, USA)


This beautiful quilt won the Ina Stentiford Memorial Floral Quilt award. It was hand appliqued, embroidered and embellished, machine quilted, and hand beaded.


Barbara McCraw says, “My favorite old movies always showed women draped in beautiful fabrics, gathered, ruched and pleated. Fabric covered the walls, and urns were filled with opulent flowers and feathers. I used that inspiration to design my quilt and then used animal prints and African batiks to create the flowers.”

Gossiping Ducks and Hungry Tiger by Linda Anderson (Texas, USA)


This dramatic, photo-inspired quilt was entered in the Painted Surface category. Linda Anderson says, "I saw a Tang Dynasty percussion performance on a trip to China. These three men wear the clothing of that period. The background reflects the title, referring to conversations between “gossiping” ducks, while the large drum speaks of the hungry tiger waiting for his meal." This piece was machine appliqued and painted using cotton fabrics.


Pua Haka (Anthurium flower) by Misa Murofushi and friends (Tokyo, Japan)


The anthurium is also called “pua haka” in the Hawaiian language. This quilt was entirely hand pieced and hand appliqued by Misa Murofushi and friends.  The block design is by Kathy Nakajima,  who has authored many Hawaiian quilt books. You can see another Kathy Nakajima-inspired quilt on our 2015 post, Hawaiian quilts by Japanese Masters.


The dark applique shapes really stand out on the bright floral blocks, pieced from floral and Kaffe Fassett fabrics, making the flowers and baskets appear to be lit from behind.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas (Feliz Navidad) !

For Christmas Eve, here is a lovely quilt that relates to Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem, so that the Christ child might be born. To all of our readers around the world, Merry Christmas !

Feliz Navidad by Betty Busby , Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival


In Betty's home state of New Mexico, the southwestern U.S.A., and  Latin America, the Christmas traditions revolve around the celebration of  Las Posadas.  It is the re-enactment of the search for shelter as the birth of Jesus draws near. A procession of people walk to a home, as Joseph and Mary walked to the inn at Bethlehem. The leader carries a lighted candle with a paper shade around it, known in Spanish as a "farolito". These farolitos (sometimes called luminarias) are also used to decorate the homes and buildings of the surrounding area, as you can see above. The paper bags are filled with sand, then a small candle or battery-operated light is placed inside the bag.  Betty writes........"Our whole neighborhood glows with these simple decorations during the holidays."

Close up photos, Feliz Navidad by Betty Busby


In Feliz Navidad, Betty has depicted her own home in New Mexico, beautifully decorated with farolitos. Gorgeous shades of pale lavender, golden brown and tan, plus deep purple, are used to portray the peaceful, snow covered landscape of a New Mexico winter.  Betty used turned-edge machine applique and machine quilting to create this memorable work.


This close-up shows some of the extensive applique on the tree branches and surrounding farolitos. The horizontal quilting pattern of the snow and sky give an artistic,expansive depth to this realistic landscape scene. You can almost hear the voices of the Las Posadas procession, singing carols as they approach the front walk, anticipating the fiesta inside.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. Betty Busby is an award-winning quilt artist whose works have been exhibited around the world; for more of her beautiful works, see her website, Betty Busby Arts.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Quilt Inspiration classics: Aquarium quilts and seascapes

This week, we're going positively aquatic! Today's quilts will make you feel that you can dive right in to the underwater scenery. The quilts we're showing include fish, turtles, and other sea-dwelling creatures, in settings that evoke the color and movement of the sea. What a way to keep (your) cool !

Koi, 40 x 68 (or miniature Koi, 11 x 13), by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs


Carol Morrissey is renowned for her vibrant, artistic designs. We love "Koi", above, by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, with its orange and red fish cavorting among stylized blue waves. The miniature version (11 x 13) features a single koi, which would make a beautiful motif within an Asian-inspired quilt.   Another stunning aquatic quilt is "Follow Me", below, which measures 40" x 50". The giant green sea turtles are so realistic...the turtle in the foreground appears to be swimming right towards us!


For more aquatic designs by Carol Morrissey, check out Swim PartyClown School (with a school of clownfish, of course), and Standing Room Only, to mention just a few ... we're particularly fond of  The Toad ( formerly known as Prince) (!)  Her patterns can be found on the patterns page at O Carol Designs. 

Seascape I and Seascape II,  by Marjan Kluepfel



Marjan Kluepfel is a fabric artist whose work has been shown in galleries around the world.  The inspiration for her magnificent seascape quilts comes from her scuba diving trips on reefs around the Hawaiian islands, and Australia. Seascape I is in a private collection, but Marjan offers a pattern for the dreamy Seascape II, which is shown above. The brightly colored hand-dyed fabric, which blends from blue-green up to yellow,  creates the impression of the sun penetrating the ocean depths; and the textural embellishments really bring the reef to life.   Marjan teaches some great workshops, including one devoted just to seascapes.  Her work can be viewed in her online galleries.

Blue Lagoon, 41 x 41, and Sandhill Cranes, 67 x 63, by Louisa L. Smith, at Quilt Escapes LLC




Louisa L. Smith is a fabric artist, designer, and teacher, whose work has been described as "painting with fabric".  The radiant Blue Lagoon is an example of a "creative nine-patch" quilt, while Sandhill Cranes uses a special curved diamond template; these are just two of the projects in the One Patch Plus book by Louisa L. Smith and Lisa Harris. In these quilts, a few dramatic elements are appliqued on top of pieced backgrounds that evoke the sea and sky. As in all of Louisa L. Smith's art quilts, the colors and values of the fabrics are expertly blended to create a sense of depth and movement (witness the beautiful blue Cycloid II).  Also check out her classes and lectures, which include "The Wonderful Art of Stripping"!

Beach Walk, 59 x 73,  including Whale Watch, by McKenna Ryan, at Pine Needles



Beach Walk has become a seascape classic; we especially like the Water Ballet (jellyfish) and the Whale Watch block, shown above...okay, we like 'em all.   Her other aquatic series include Sea Breeze, which includes a cute pufferfish (Koo Koo Puff); and her newest design, Something Fishy.  And here is something fun about the Pine Needles site:  you can send a free electronic postcard of any quilt block to a friend (how cool is that?)  Check it out by clicking on the exquisite LOVE quilt block (or if you happen to know someone who is snooty, consider sending The Snooty Sisters !

Aquarium Art Quilts: For even more inspiration,  take a quick peek at a few quilts by these outstanding quilters (you'll be glad you did): Janice Potter's Lion of the Sea;  Jean Baardsen's Raffle Reef and aquarium quilts;  Mary Butler's  Into the Deep;   Betty Busby's aquarium quilts at bbusbyarts;  Debra Harry's aquarium and mermaid quilts; and Stacy West's underwater gallery.

Fish samplers:Hmmm, a fish sampler sounds like something on a sushi menu (sashimi, anyone?) But of course we're talking about fish sampler quilts. See the Under The Sea series by Barbara Bieraugel, who lives in Hawaii (lucky devil). Now someone just has to design a sushi sampler quilt so we know what to order at the sushi bar!

Image credits and links: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  This article was first published at Quilt Inspiration on August 9, 2010.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Aquarium quilts and seascapes

This week, we're going positively aquatic! Today's quilts will make you feel that you can dive right in to the underwater scenery. The quilts we're showing include fish, turtles, and other sea-dwelling creatures, in settings that evoke the color and movement of the sea. Plus, we're providing all the links to patterns which you can use to create your own underwater fantasy. What a way to keep (your) cool ! (note: at the bottom of the post there are two quiz questions... if you know either of the answers, please leave a comment.)

Koi, 40 x 68 (or miniature Koi, 11 x 13), by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs


Carol Morrissey is renowned for her vibrant, artistic designs. We love the classic "Koi", above, by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, with its orange and red fish cavorting among stylized blue waves. The miniature version (11 x 13) features a single koi, which would make a beautiful motif within an Asian-inspired quilt.   Another stunning aquatic quilt is "Follow Me", below, which measures 40" x 50". The giant green sea turtles are so realistic...the turtle in the foreground appears to be swimming right towards us!



For more fabulous aquatic designs by Carol Morrissey, check out Swim PartyClown School (with a school of clownfish, of course), and Standing Room Only, to mention just a few ... we're particularly fond of  The Toad ( formerly known as Prince) (!)  This spring we also featured some of Carol's glorious flower quilts in an article called In Full Bloom... take a peek at that article to see her luscious orange poppies. The patterns can all be found on the patterns page at O Carol Designs. 

Seascape I and Seascape II,  by Marjan Kluepfel




Marjan Kluepfel is a fabric artist whose work has been shown in galleries around the world.  The inspiration for her magnificent seascape quilts comes from her scuba diving trips on reefs around the Hawaiian islands, and Australia. Seascape I is in a private collection, but Marjan offers a pattern for the dreamy Seascape II, which is shown above. The brightly colored hand-dyed fabric, which blends from blue-green up to yellow,  creates the impression of the sun penetrating the ocean depths; and the textural embellishments really bring the reef to life.   Marjan teaches some wonderful workshops, including a workshop devoted just to seascapes!  Her work can be viewed in her online galleries where you can feast your eyes on all of her extraordinary art quilts.  

Blue Lagoon, 41 x 41, and Sandhill Cranes, 67 x 63, by Louisa L. Smith, at Quilt Escapes LLC



Louisa L. Smith is a fabric artist, designer, and teacher, whose innovative work has been described as "painting with fabric".  The radiant Blue Lagoon is an example of a "creative nine-patch" quilt, while Sandhill Cranes uses a special curved diamond template; these are just two of the projects in the One Patch Plus book by Louisa L. Smith and Lisa Harris. In these gorgeous quilts, a few dramatic elements are appliqued on top of pieced backgrounds that evoke the sea and sky. As in all of Louisa L. Smith's art quilts, the colors and values of the fabrics are expertly blended to create a sense of depth and movement (witness the beautiful blue Cycloid II).  If you would like to learn more, check out her classes and lectures, which include such subjects as "The Wonderful Art of Stripping"!

Beach Walk, 59 x 73,  including Whale Watch, by McKenna Ryan, at Pine Needles



NEW!  Beach Walk is McKenna Ryan's brand new series quilt, and we're so pleased to have the opportunity to showcase this design. We especially like the Water Ballet (jellyfish) and the Whale Watch block, shown above...okay, we like 'em all.  The kits for Beach Walk will be released this month, and you can get all the details at the Pine Needles website - the home of McKenna Ryan Designs.  Another delightful aquatic series by McKenna Ryan is Sea Breeze, which includes a cute pufferfish (Koo Koo Puff) and other denizens of the deep.  And here is something fun about the Pine Needles site:  you can send a free electronic postcard of any quilt block to a friend (how cool is that?)  Check it out by clicking on any of the above links, or click on the exquisite LOVE quilt block (it's on our sidebar this week).  (p.s. If you happen to know someone who is snooty, you might want to send her The Snooty Sisters e-card... be sure to type in "just kidding" in the message line!)


Quiz Question 1:  In quilting, what is a "sushi roll"?
Quiz Question 2: What, or who, is a "surf quilter"?

If you know the answers to either of our quiz questions, leave us a comment below, and stay tuned... the correct answers will be posted later this week!

Image credits and links:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

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